Newsle er from Kanaan 2014 /2015

Transcription

1 Newsle er from Kanaan 2014 /2015 Dear Friends, Day by day the media confront us with alarming news, bringing to mind Isaiah s prophetic vision, See, darkness covers the earth and thick darkness is over the peoples Let s not forget the rest of the verse: but the Lord rises upon you and his glory appears over you (Isaiah 60:2). It s the glory we often lose sight of. But we need to keep our eyes on the glory if we are to be accurate in assessing the spiritual realities behind current events. Terror attacks, wars, disasters: these are the backdrop against which God is at work, often unnoticed by the world redeeming, reconciling, healing, and preparing His Church. Again we have been privileged to witness a tiny part of what our God is doing and it s good to be able to share some of our experiences of the last year with you. We realize that some of you are going through dark moments, and we hope that like us you will be encouraged to keep going in faith. rom small beginnings One ray of God s glory has to do with Poland. Five years ago we discovered that God uses small beginnings to reveal His love in a much bigger way. To commemorate the 70th anniversary of the German invasion of Poland, we wrote a letter to Polish friends here in Germany particularly our employees of Polish origin, who are such a blessing and in a real sense our closest neighbours. We invited them to a special evening in the Motherhouse. It turned out to be an unforgettable event. Consequent trips to Poland resulted in an ever deeper awareness of the suffering this nation has undergone. We wondered if there might be a way to reach out to the entire Polish nation to ask forgiveness for the pain that Germany inflicted. A wide-open door Sister Arimathia had an idea quite a bold one considering we couldn t afford it. She thought of asking the biggest national daily newspaper (Gazeta Wyborcza) if they would include our Memorial in Warsaw Translated from our German letter of October 2014 letter in the advertisements section on the 75th anniversary of the German invasion of Poland on 1 September God gave her an open door and she was soon talking to one of the few journalists who speak German. He was moved by her request and passed it on to the editorial team who offered us a substantial price reduction. Our letter appeared on 1 September as a halfpage article along with a warm personal recommendation from the journalist himself. It seems the people of Poland had been waiting for something like this, for our letter set in motion a chain reaction that hasn t yet come to a standstill. Reconciliation spreads One response really put us to shame and had far-reaching consequences in the form of an unexpected visit to Warsaw. Wanda Traczyk-Stawska, now 87 years old and a veteran of the 1944 Warsaw Uprising, wrote a moving letter. She tells of the more than 100,000 inhabitants of Warsaw, mostly defenceless civilians, who perished simply because they were Poles. The wounds are still there seventy-five years after the war began. That s why your words seeking forgiveness for the suffering and injustice inflicted on my people

2 can still bring healing I would like to respond to your gesture with an invitation for Sisters of Mary to visit Poland on 2 October, the anniversary of the final battle of the Warsaw Uprising seventy years ago. I had a dream Sister Joela, Sister Arimathia and Sister Julia attended the commemorations and got to know Wanda. For decades she campaigned tirelessly for a memorial worthy of the victims from the Warsaw Uprising who were laid to rest in the largest of the city s cemeteries (Cmentarz Powstańców Warszawy). I had a dream, she said in her brief speech her dream was that some day, in this cemetery, the voice of a German would be heard asking for forgiveness. Now it has happened!, she concluded. Thank God we were not too late! Wanda Traczyk-Stawska During the rest of their short visit our sisters discovered just how much their words were appreciated not only at the cemetery, but at a reception in the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, at the university and at various media interviews. Every year on the evening of 2 October a Eucharist is celebrated in Warsaw s churches. This was a powerful spiritual event. It was also the perfect moment for reaching out to older citizens for whom the lengthy commemoration service in the cemetery is too strenuous. Not only was it an expression of reconciliation between our two nations; it was also a sign of true unity in our Lord Jesus Christ and a cause of rejoicing in heaven (see Luke 15:7)! TO THE PEOPLE OF POLAND ON 1 SEPTEMBER 2014 Seventy-five years ago today, Germany invaded Poland and World War II began. The consequences were incalculable. Millions were killed, untold numbers had to flee from their homes, property was confiscated or destroyed, and countless people faced imprisonment or even forced labour. Mass murder of Jews and the construction of Nazi German death camps on Polish soil were a horrific reality from the outset. It is with deep grief that we acknowledge this. We can only plead for forgiveness with all our hearts. To this day, we cannot conceive what wounds this terrible war has left in each Polish family. Human sympathy can never reach such depths, but in the Psalms we read, You have taken account of my wanderings; put my tears in Your bottle. Are they not in Your book? (Psalm 56:8 NASB) God saw it all; He grieved with you and bore it in His heart. None of the pain escaped His notice. Nothing you endured was in vain or has been forgotten. The Cross of Calvary is the guarantee that His love never changes. The Cross is the one comfort that we share, the place of forgiveness and the source of healing love through our Lord Jesus Christ. He alone can join our nations in reconciliation. GOD BLESS POLAND! English translation of our open letter in the Gazeta Wyborcza Memorial in Warsaw

3 Unanswered prayers? A highlight of the summer was the 50th anniversary of our chapel on the Griesalp in Switzerland. For the last two years, a flame has been burning in Sister Lebona s heart: the message of this chapel must be proclaimed and heard in a new way. On the wall behind the altar is a mosaic with the inscription, Worship him who made the heavens and the earth, for the hour of his judgement has come (see Revelation 14:7). We are already beginning to see God s judgement coming over our world, so it is vital that we worship Him as never before. That s what was on her heart. We had prayed so much for good weather, but the opposite happened. Heavy rains caused mudslides and debris to block the narrow access road only three days before the celebrations. During the final preparations the day before, the weather finally cleared, but only to start pouring with rain all over again on the morning of the big day. Was it really so surprising? Could it have been otherwise? After all, we can only preach a message if we are willing to live up to it ourselves first. It wasn t easy, but with a lot of help from neighbours and from brothers and sisters from the Motherhouse, everything was prepared and we finally celebrated in the rain. About 160 guests joined us for our thanksgiving service as we huddled under umbrellas at over 5000 feet above sea level. With muddy shoes and wet feet but with joyful hearts we praised our God before the visible and the invisible world, probably with more enthusiasm than if the weather had been good. Looking back, it underscored the message of the mosaic, which was the theme of Sister Joela s talk, and at the same time our trust grew. More than all else, it is trust that we will need in the times ahead. Endless repairs... Perhaps you are wondering what is happening at Kanaan? Largely thanks to a group of Russians with a deep love for Jesus and the right professional and practical experience, the Jesus Pathway has been completely renovated. After so many years, the original water pipes that criss-cross our grounds are corroding, and in the summer many of them had to be replaced. This time, the Father in heaven did hold back the rain! All over Kanaan, trenches were dug and filled in again, the weather was good, and He heard our prayers for the means to pay the bills. A precious o«er All I need is water and God, remarked a guest who was applying to spend time at Kanaan. People of all ages contact us, just wanting a quiet place to pray. But sometimes our quiet grounds can be quite lively, with youth groups coming for this totally different experience. It takes determination to cut back radically on smartphone use and internet access even if it s only for a day. We were puzzled when one girl who took the plunge of a quiet day sud-

4 Our brothers are often joined by sisters and local Christians for times of worship and praise at castle ruins on a nearby hilltop, where an old family by the name of Frankenstein once lived. The name led to the ruins becoming the venue for unwholesome and highly commercialized Hallowe en events which have cast a dark shadow over the area. All the more reason to lift up the Name of the Lord! denly turned hard of hearing till we discovered she was wearing ear plugs! She explained in the evening: We hear so much these days, but we don t listen to Jesus. We talk to each other, but not to Him. We focus on all sorts of things, just not on Him. A chance to get away for a time of prayer is the greatest gift Kanaan has to offer. It s a gift that grows more precious with each new year, as people come not seeking programmes or fellowship so much as time spent with Jesus alone. A field ready for harvest The men s get-together led by our brothers at Kanaan is still much appreciated and well-attended, with some men finding it worth-while to drive quite a distance just for this one afternoon. Various strands of youth culture and different ethnic groups hang out around the statue and fountains in Darmstadt s busy centre. After years of patient outreach, our sisters in their light coloured dresses seem to have been accepted, and if heads turn on their arrival it is in welcome rather than otherwise. The population here, as everywhere in Germany, is increasingly international and we hear many tales of loneliness, helplessness and frustration, with newcomers searching for God and glad of someone to talk to. Jesus has already prepared a harvest. A Muslim woman who accepted a bookmark from Sister Damaris burst out, I can t believe this; I m getting goose pimples! Three times I ve dreamt about Jesus. He said, I ve been waiting for you so long, why don t you come to Me? This is just one example of the many ways the Lord has of making Himself known. The sisters have passed on literature in about thirty languages, along with New Testaments and Jesus Film DVDs. He satisfies the hungry There s one thing we have noticed in our various contacts and particularly in our own lives: it s the spiritually hungry who receive the most. If we think we don t need Him, He won t thrust His blessings on us. It was the poor in spirit, the spiritually hungry He called blessed. Sister Gideona in Australia writes about her recent trip with Sister Joanna to Indonesia and Malaysia: We were invited by Anglican, Lutheran, Baptist and Pentecostal churches. In Surabaya we spoke at three services on one Sunday. There were a thousand people at the 6 a.m. service alone. In the mountain area of East Java conditions were more

5 difficult, with poor visibility on the steeply winding roads due to torrential downpours. So we were surprised to find the church bursting at the seams with people who had travelled from remote mountain villages. We were expected to speak for four hours and we thought it would be too long. But if anything it was too short as the spiritual hunger is great. He comforts the despairing Sister Pnina in Finland wrote of the difference just one bookmark can make. She met a volunteer counsellor who is permitted to pass on our literature in three of the prisons where she works. This woman shared about an inmate who was on the verge of despair from a devastating blow life had dealt her. She had been about to take her own life when she accidentally came across a piece of paper with the words, Jesus lives today and He s there for you. So tell Him what s troubling you. Bring Him all that s weighing you down even your guilty conscience. He can help you. She described her reaction as waking up : she met Jesus and became a radiant witness to her fellow inmates. Now she keeps the bookmark pinned to the wall of her cell. A lot from a li le Sister Silvana from India has a real burden of prayer for her country s huge population. Sometimes she shares her joys and sorrows with us. Here is some of the good news: During a big Hindu festival, a pastor and his team distributed 220,000 copies of the leaflet Jesus Offer to You in Telugu. Many people put their faith in Jesus, including the young leader of an extreme group of Hindus. After reading the leaflet, he and nine other members asked for baptism. We also heard that thirteen Hindus from a remote village had read the leaflet and invited Jesus into their lives. And still another pastor reported twenty-seven conversions. Our Lord is so great that He uses the smallest things to bless and feed many! What about Israel? There is currently a great deal of discussion of Israel s tense and precarious situation, and that of Jews here in Germany or in almost every other nation. If we have ears to hear, we will have picked up God s call to pray without ceasing for land and people. We sense that the Lord is guiding our Israel ministry in a specific direction and that He has a definite plan in mind. It is important not to let the discussion surrounding the recent conflict distract us from the big picture God is revealing. When the study group for interdenominational issues in the Lutheran Church of Hesse-Nassau recently chose Kanaan as their workshop venue, our question concerning the role of Messianic churches was included in the agenda. The discussion that followed was lively and positive. Also around this time, on two unconnected occasions, a rabbi from Israel visited us. Both were a testimony to an undivided love for God. One of them remarked, I love the Jewish Jesus, while the other felt that Kanaan was a hiding place and a fragrance of Jerusalem. Werner Oder Beth Abraham In our 2011 newsletter we shared that the facilities in our century-old house Beth Abraham in Jerusalem no longer meet modern standards. In 1961, during the Eichmann trial in Jerusalem, our founding mothers dedicated Beth Abraham as an oasis for Jewish guests. At that time, we were one of the first ministries working in Israel as a response to German national crime. Ever since, as a community we have sought to follow our mothers vision to provide a place of rest and refreshment, so to speak an experience of Abraham s bosom for those who suffered in the time of persecution. Fifty-three years later, our ministry has drawn to a close and the time came for us to sell the house and garden. As you can imagine, it was a painful decision for everyone involved, but we are thankful that the proceeds of the sale can be used for the Beth Abraham Trust Fund that will continue to support Holocaust survivors as well as Israel s needy. Jews and Christians together In our branches too, new developments are unfolding with regard to Israel. In Radlett in the UK, our sisters are warmly received by the Jewish community whose acceptance and trust have grown as Sister Thekla and Sister Glory have taken part in Jewish feasts and remembrance days. When they announced the guest

6 speaker for their Israel Day in September, applications came flooding in from all sides. Born in Austria, Pastor Werner Oder was the son of a Nazi war criminal. He has dealt so courageously with this painful heritage that his life story speaks strongly to both Christians and Jews, while his love for Israel touches hearts. A leader of the Jewish community encouraged members of both the Orthodox and the Reform synagogue to attend. Book tables and refreshments were moved into a marquee. Even so, the hall was too Paraguay small for the 130 guests who turned up Jews and Christians united together. Every available chair was brought out and set up in the garden outside the open windows so that even the last to arrive could hear. Jewish guests were overwhelmed to see that they have friends who love them and that there are Christians all over the world who pray for them. In Paraguay too there have been steps towards reconciliation. Our sisters live in a colony originally settled by German immigrants and known to have had strong connections with Nazi Germany. In June a remembrance service was held in the little Jewish cemetery nearby. To our sisters delight, the over 50 Jewish people attending accepted an invitation to visit our little Kanaan. The welcome our sisters gave them, with Israeli flags and an open acknowledgement of the past, went straight to their hearts and led to genuine reconciliation between Paraguayans and Germans, Jews and Christians. A new era approaches Darkness covers the earth. Yet it heralds a new era when the glory of the Lord will rise upon His people. Armed with love and truth, the weapons of light that are powerful to banish and dispel all darkness, we can speed its coming. By the time this reaches you, our Englishspeaking readers, the Christmas lights will again have reminded us that the time is near and we must get ready. Arise, shine, for your light has come, and the glory of the Lord rises upon you. (Isaiah 60:1) Our warmest thanks to all of you for being alongside us in faithful prayer and for all your help and support. Jesus, our Messiah, is coming back soon! The Sisters of Mary, Sisters of the Crown of Thorns and Canaan Franciscan Brothers PS: In view of the worldwide terrorist threat, we are including the Prayer in These Days of Terrorism that has often proved helpful for use in churches and prayer groups. Further copies are available on request. Scripture quotations taken from the HOLY BIBLE, NEW INTERNATIONAL VERSION. Copyright 1973, 1978, 1984 Biblica. Used by permission of Zondervan. All rights reserved. Psalm 56:8 taken from the NEW AMERICAN STANDARD BIBLE, Copyright 1960,1962,1963,1968,1971,1972,1973,1975,1977,1995 by The Lockman Foundation. Used by permission. The Evangelical Sisterhood of Mary, P.O.Box , Darmstadt, Germany All rights reserved info@kanaan.org Branch addresses: Australia : Evangelical Sisterhood of Mary, P.O.Box 430, Camden NSW 2570 Canada : Evangelical Sisterhood of Mary, R.R.1, Millet, Alberta, T0C 1Z0 UK : Evangelical Sisterhood of Mary, Radlett, Herts. WD7 8DE USA : Evangelical Sisterhood of Mary, P.O.Box 30022, Phoenix, AZ